Speaking to the Anatolia news agency ahead of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), Güneş said the hides of sacrificial animals play an important role in the economy as a raw material used by the Turkish leather industry. “According to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs data, this year approximately 2 million goats and sheep along with some 600,000 cattle will be sacrificed,” Güneş said, noting that the hides and intestines of most of the animals are wasted because handlers do not know how to preserve them.
The average price of pickled sheepskin is currently around TL 4-4.50, and cow hide, which on average has a weight of 20 to 25 kilograms, is around TL 1.10-1.20, he said. Based on these figures, the total value of hides of sacrificial animals comes out to TL 25 million, Güneş stated.
“The hides of sacrificial animals are mostly used in wearing apparel manufacturing. Eighty percent of leather wearing apparel produced in Turkey is exported abroad or sold to tourists in the domestic market,” he said, adding that this accounts for a large influx of foreign currency into the country.
However, at least 20 percent of hides are wasted every year due to incorrect methods of preservation. This creates a loss of TL 5 million per year and, combined with the large amount of wasted intestines, which could have been used in various steps of food processing, this figure rises even more, he said.
